How Can Home and Garden Waste Affect the Environment?

Sarah Jessica Smith - Contributing writer

Posted on Thursday 7th March 2019

 

When you think of pollution and the destruction of Earth’s ozone layer, the first thing that comes to your mind are factory chimneys letting out huge black clouds into the atmosphere. Although the lion’s share of pollution is produced by heavy industries, household waste is a significant contributor as well. If you are eco-friendly person, you should start from your doorstep before you can accuse anyone else of being a polluter. There are many harmful substances that you let into the environment that you weren’t aware of. Creating a responsible house waste disposal systems requires you as the homeowner to be aware of the impact your household has on the environment and the steps you can take to decrease it.

home waste

Green waste blocking the drains

Most waste in your house is going to be generated inside or near the garden area. Green waste, like fallen leaves and grass after mowing should be disposed of immediately and properly. Otherwise, all that greenery will clog up the drains, preventing the rain and waste water from flowing out of your and your neighbors’ households. This can cause flooding in the basement area, as well as in the street, which will require you to call the emergency services. Even worse, if the pile of leaves is large enough, it can block even sewage pipes, causing waste waters to spill all over the street. These are all reasons enough to responsibly pile up all the green waste and drive it to the dump. By no means should you try to burn them!

The high risk of a wildfire

Urban settlements are extremely sensitive to fires, so even a saucepan forgotten on the stove can spell disaster. You definitely do not want to be part of the problem by burning anything inside the house or out in the garden. This especially refers to green waste that many owners are tempted to set on fire and hope it burns quickly. The potential danger is far too great, as a single spark is enough to ignite the surrounding greenery and once the tree canopy high above your head become ablaze, you will have to call the firemen! That is why the best way to get rid of green waste is to pick up the phone and arrange for it to be driven away.

home fire

A reliable waste disposal system

Besides the waste disposal service you probably already have in your neighborhood, you should be ready to deal with bulky waste a couple of times a year. Perhaps you are cleaning the garage and you need all the junk taken out or you have bought a new wardrobe and the old one is ready to become firewood. In such instances you trust companies such as Clean Up Rubbish Removals to pull up your driveway and remove the rubbish in an effective manner. However, you should check prior to hiring rubbish disposal people that the service they provide is eco-friendly and that they take great care where they drive their waste to.

Cooking oil disposal

A rather big issue with household waste is the management of used-up cooking oil. Whether it be sunflower seed oil or olive oil, you have to stop pouring it down the drain in the kitchen sink! It dissolves slowly because of its viscose texture so it will not flow away and it will stay in the drains creating a bottleneck where the next clog might be created. Furthermore, the little oil that does flow away will pollute the body of water it finally ends up in as it cannot be cleaned, much like crude oil pollutes the oceans. It is, therefore, wiser to recycle leftovers of cooking oil or by pouring it inside a container and throwing it in the trash like that. Just forget the sink drain!

home cleaning

The chemicals used for cleaning

Unknown to you, but every time you clean the windows or sweep the floors, you are releasing toxic substances into the environment. This is because modern chemicals that you buy at the supermarket are everything but ecologically friendly. By the use of water and air, they eventually end up outside, polluting your garden where your children play and from where you possibly outsource your food from. An organic garden and industrial cleaning agents cannot go together! This is why you should use homemade cleaners that are made from natural ingredients. You would be surprised what lemon juice and baking powder can do to the dirt inside your house. You need to raise awareness that cleaning the house can be dangerous if you use inappropriate chemicals.

The phrase “think globally, act locally,” could not be truer in the case of house waste management. All the rubbish you generate affects the environment and you need to do your best to decrease this impact as much as possible. The above-described steps are an excellent starting point but you will have to do more for the environment which you will learn over time.

”...if you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself and then make a change” - Michael Jackson

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